Pollard, the Ravens' starting strong safety the past two seasons and one of the vocal leaders of the defense, broke the news on his Twitter account, writing, "Well Raven Nation it's been fun. My time in Baltimore is done... Thank you!"

A league source confirmed Pollard has been let go. The 28-year-old safety, one of the NFL's biggest hitters and one of the Ravens' locker room's biggest personalities, carried a $3.25 million cap figure for next season. He was due a $500,000 roster bonus on Saturday.

A key free-agent pickup from the Houston Texans in 2011, Pollard led the Super Bowl champions this past season with 98 tackles to go along with two sacks, one interception and six passes defended despite missing three games and playing much of the season with cracked ribs.

It’s not all bad news for the Ravens on the first day of free agency. Despite trading receiver Anquan Boldin on Monday and then losing linebackers Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe on Tuesday, the Ravens still might have a shot at retaining safety Ed Reed and offensive tackle Bryant...

Ray Lewis, one of the best middle linebackers in NFL history, retired in 2013 after a 17-season career with the Ravens. Here are 12 things we miss about Ray Lewis, in no particular order. -- L'Oreal Thompson • Also see: The Baltimore Sun's Ray Lewis special section at...